State police investigating Montville fire

Montville — State police are assisting local officials in investigating a Monday afternoon fire at an unoccupied day care center in Oakdale.

An accelerant-detecting K-9 was brought to the scene to search for a cause and origin following the 5:45 p.m. blaze, Lt. J. Paul Vance, state police spokesman, said in a news release Tuesday.

The fire at Creative Care Daycare, at 1127 Old Colchester Road, was brought under control in about 30 minutes, but “the building is a total loss,” Oakdale Fire Chief Gary Murphy said Monday.

Neighboring departments — Gardner Lake, Colchester, East Great Plain in Norwich, Salem and Bozrah — sent equipment to the scene as part of a mutual aid tanker task force division, Murphy said. All four town departments were also at the scene.

There were no injuries, Murphy said.

Town Fire Marshal Raymond Occhialini said state police are overseeing the investigation.

“Hopefully, it won’t take too long to solve,” he said.

Fire investigators and personnel were on scene until 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, he said.

The 2,450-square-foot, wood frame building is owned by Wendy Summers of Oakdale. Purchased in February 2003, the structure was built that same year.

The fire was reported by an automatic fire alarm company just as firefighters were finishing putting out a brush fire behind St. Bernard High School.

Murphy said all four town departments were at the brush fire for about three hours Monday afternoon before that fire was extinguished.

Anyone with any knowledge or information regarding the day care fire is asked to contact the state police’s Montville barracks at (860) 848-6500. All calls will be kept confidential.